Texans' Daniels reminds Kubiak of Hall of Famer Sharpe

He's a chip off the old blockHaving tutored one of the best in Denver, Owen Daniels' coaches see a lot of Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe in their tight end here

JEFFREY MARTIN, Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Photo: Brett Coomer, Chronicle

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It's not a stretch to mention notable NFL tight ends when discussing Owen Daniels' potential at the position as he enters his sixth season with the Texans.

It's not a stretch to mention notable NFL tight ends when discussing Owen Daniels' potential at the position as he enters his sixth season with the Texans.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Chronicle

Texans' Daniels reminds Kubiak of Hall of Famer Sharpe

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Early during his 11-season run as Denver's offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak was privy to a conversation between Mike Shanahan, the Broncos' head coach and Kubiak's former boss, and the team's talented young tight end — a former seventh-round draft choice named Shannon Sharpe.

Fresh off consecutive seasons of 80-plus receptions, Sharpe was already an All-Pro, virtually a star.

"He was a H-back, and he never blocked anybody," Kubiak said Tuesday. "I remember when Mike called him in and said we've got a pretty good running back (Terrell Davis), and if you get better at blocking, we're going to the Super Bowl."

After that chat, Sharpe caught 80 passes in a season only once more, became an effective and tireless blocker, helped his teams win three Super Bowls (two in Denver and one in Baltimore) and, this past weekend, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

To Kubiak, portions of the progression seem all too familiar.

"Owen's career has kind of been that way," he said.

That would be Owen Daniels, who returned to the Texans' practice field Tuesday after a bout with the stomach flu. Now, Kubiak isn't suggesting Daniels will end up in Canton, Ohio, nor is he predicting the Texans will win it all any time soon. But when Kubiak and tight ends coach Brian Pariani, who also mentored Sharpe in Denver, look at Daniels, they can't help but think of Sharpe.

And that's all rather humbling for Daniels, a former quarterback at Wisconsin.

"Obviously, Shannon is one of the best ever," he said. "He's a beast."

Which would make Daniels what, exactly?

Learning from the best

Because of injury, he hasn't completed a full season since 2008, when he posted career highs of 70 receptions for 862 yards. He admits to watching his peers around the league and implementing aspects of what has made them successful, mentioning Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta, Antonio Gates in San Diego, Zach Miller in Seattle and Chris Cooley in Washington.

Maybe, on some level, he doesn't consider himself their equal. But his coaches do.

"The thing about 'O.D.' is that he's such a great athlete and has such good body quickness that he's able to get in and out of breaks and do the things he has to do against linebackers and safeties," Pariani said. "But the other thing he does is he's so good on the line of scrimmage with some spring. He has great balance and hand placement and stuff like that, and he's a worker.

"That's what makes him special in what we do."

Added Kubiak: "Committing to being better on the line of scrimmage has been the key."

So much so that now, like Sharpe throughout most of the 1990s, Daniels has become the standard at the position in the Texans' Shanahan/Kubiak version of the West Coast offense. The tight end can't be an extra offensive lineman with limited mobility, but he also must be willing to sacrifice precious touches.

"They're a lot alike - very good playmaking receivers," Kubiak said. "But for what they do catching the ball and running routes, they both have to work really hard to be blockers. They'll never be dominant blockers, but when they work at it, they're good at what they do."

Dreessen: No one better

Sharpe was a physical specimen - a sculpted 225-pounder - who almost always went up against larger opponents. Daniels (6-3, 242) is a little bigger but still is viewed as undersized - a label at which fellow Texans tight end Joel Dreessen openly scoffed Tuesday.

"Owen's very, very special at what he does, and that's how it goes," Dreessen said. "He's very gifted athletically as far as running routes, separation and patience. As far as beating man coverage, he's the best, in my opinion."

Dreessen paused, then said: "And he's a technician when it comes to blocking."